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TSLMail #351- October 10, 2008    
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 Tech Sports News

Boston College the Exception to Many Tech Trends
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

Virginia Tech will be playing Boston College next Saturday in a game that follows a bye week. Different people have different arguments about whether bye weeks are good or bad. Since joining the ACC in 2004, the game immediately following the bye has generally been good for the Hokies ... unless they were playing Boston College

Since 2004, the Hokies are 5-2 in games following a bye week. They have lost their last two games following a bye, and both losses have come at the hands of Boston College.

Hokies After the Bye
Year Opponent Result
2004 Western Michigan 63-0 W
2004 Georgia Tech 34-20 W
2004 Maryland 55-6 W
2005 Maryland 28-9 W
2005 Virginia 52-14 W
2006 Boston College 22-3 L
2007 Boston College 14-10 L


The last football game the Hokies won following a bye week was in 2005, when the Hokies smashed Virginia after a disappointing home loss to Miami. With there being 12 games during the regular season now, the Hokies are only getting one bye week per season.

That's one positive Tech trend that Boston College has been able to stop. There are others.

Virginia Tech is 16-1 in ACC road games since they joined the league. The Hokies have gone 4-0 on the road in the ACC each year (and are 1-0 so far this year), except for the 2006 season. They went just 3-1 that year, and their only loss came in a 22-3 setback at the hands of Boston College in Chestnut Hill.

It was an embarrassing loss for the Hokies that featured dancing on the field during the middle of a blowout, and arguments on the sideline between players. Tech has won 16 ACC road games by an average of over 17 points, but that night at Boston College was the other way around.

Okay, so Boston College is the only team since ACC expansion to beat Tech after a bye, and they handed the Hokies their only ACC road loss. What else have they done to the Hokies?

Virginia Tech is 14-3 in Thursday night games since 1994. All three losses have come at the hands of Boston College.

Hokies on Thursday Night
Year Opponent Result
1994 West Virginia 34-6 W
1995 Boston College 20-14 L
1998 Boston College 17-0 W
1999 Clemson 31-11 W
2000 East Carolina 45-28 W
2000 West Virginia 48-20 W
2002 Marshall 47-21 W
2002 Boston College 28-23 W
2003 Texas A&M 35-19 W
2004 Georgia Tech 34-20 W
2004 Maryland 55-6 W
2005 Maryland 28-9 W
2005 Boston College 30-10 W
2006 Boston College 22-3 L
2006 Clemson 24-7 W
2007 Boston College 14-10 L
2007 Georgia Tech 27-3 W


The Hokies are just 2-2 in their last four Thursday night games. They have lost a Thursday night game in two consecutive seasons. Who would have ever thought that?

There is a lot more to football than streaks and numbers. However, just knowing what we know about how the Eagles have played the Hokies over the last few years, it's hard to not be a little worried about next week's game.

We haven't begun to look at BC's personnel yet. That will come in next week's game preview. However, we do know that the Eagles have a couple of things going for them already. First off, they are 2-0 against the Hokies after Tech has a bye. Well, Tech has a bye again this time around. Second, they are the only team to hand the Hokies an ACC road loss -- this game is in the road. It's a good thing this game is played on a Saturday instead of a Thursday, because BC is the only team to have success against Tech on that night.

When it comes down to it, next Saturday's game against BC will be won by the team who executes the best. It won't have anything to do with those numbers and facts listed above. Still, it's something interesting to think about as we head into game week.

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   TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week

ACC Weekend Football Preview: Week 7

October 10, 2008
There aren't as many ACC games this weekend, but there are some entertaining ones. East Carolina will travel to Charlottesville to take on Virginia, and North Carolina will get a shot to knock off Notre Dame.
more

2008 Midseason Review: Special Teams
October 10, 2008
Frank Beamer's special teams have been up and down this year. They've been major contributors in some key wins, and they were also a big reason for Tech's one loss to East Carolina. Like the offense and defense, there are a lot of very young, inexperienced players on special teams.
more

A New Offer Coming for Rhodes?
October 10, 2008
DeAntre Rhodes is flourishing this season, turning in "dominant" performances according to Blue Devils head coach Stu Brown. The 6-3, 280-pound prospect, a 4-year starter on the varsity level, has been a major part of Varina's undefeated season. And, according to Coach Brown, Rhodes just keeps getting better.
more

2008 Midseason Review: The Defense
October 9, 2008
Today, we'll take a look a midseason look at Virginia Tech's defense. The Hokies lost a lot of starters off of last year's dominant group, but many of the new players have picked up the slack quite nicely. Things haven't been perfect, but it's tough to find many complaints about Bud Foster's unit right now.
more

A Dose of Perspective
October 9, 2008
There's been discussion ad nauseum over the past six weeks about the "mediocre" or "passionless" nature of the Virginia Tech football team with the implication that the only thing holding us back from reaching the "big time" is the ineptness or conservativeness of our coaching staff. The prime villain is, of course, the offensive coordinator, with more and more finger pointing at the head coach himself, and even some very tentative shots at the sainted Bud Foster.
more

VT Commit Green Excited About New School
October 9, 2008
Point guard Erick Green made a tough decision this summer, choosing to transfer from defending state champion Millbrook (Winchester, VA) to Paul VI in Fairfax, Virginia. The 6-2 senior is happy with the decision; a move he believes will help him prepare on and off the court for his time at Virginia Tech.
more

2008 Midseason Review: The Offense
October 8, 2008
Six games are in the books, we are halfway through the regular season, and we are in the middle of a bye week. What better time for a midseason review? Today we'll take a look at the Virginia Tech offense, and later in the week we'll turn our attention to defense and special teams.
more

TSL Poll: What's Your Favorite 2008 Uniform Combination?
October 8, 2008
We thought the 1994 football season, with its crazy orange uniform combos, would never be matched for variety. That season even included a hideous orange-on-orange combo that the Hokies modeled in a humiliating home loss to Virginia. But 14 years later, the 2008 season is rivaling the 1994 season for multiple uniform combos, including the first significant use of orange since that fateful day against UVa. So we have to ask the question: What's your favorite uniform combo the Hokies have worn so far this season? To vote, head over to our blog section by clicking here. Anyone can vote, so tell us your opinion!
more

Brookville OL Adds Offer, Looking for More
October 8, 2008
Senior offensive lineman Devin Bolling is looking forward to Friday night, when Virginia Tech is expected to be represented at Brookville's (Lynchburg, VA) home football game against Liberty (Bedford). This will be an opportunity for the 6-5, 270-pound prospect to impress the Tech coaches and perhaps help earn a scholarship offer.
more

Sparrow Set for First Official Visit
October 8, 2008
Western Branch (Chesapeake, VA) standout defensive back/wide receiver Javanti Sparrow will make his first official visit this weekend, when he is scheduled to travel to the University of Virginia. The 6-1, 190-pound speedster is high on the Cavaliers - North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech are his top three schools - and did not rule out the possibility of making a commitment should the visit go very well.
more

TSL Audio: The Jerry Miller Show, 10/7/08
October 8, 2008
Yesterday, Jerry Miller and Chris Coleman talked about Ike Whitaker's allegations that he was "lied to" by the Virginia Tech coaches. Chris and Jerry also discussed the impact of Kenny Lewis's season-ending injury, and other football topics (WMA format, approx. 3.0 MB, approx. 13 minutes long).
The Jerry Miller Show appears on The Sports Addict Radio Network every afternoon from 1:00-3:00 pm in Blacksburg (1430 AM), Charlottesville (840 AM), and Bluefield (1050 AM), and from 2:00-4:00 in Martinsville (1160 AM).
more

Western Kentucky Game Analysis: Taylor Shows Progress
October 7, 2008
William and Mary last year. Furman and Western Kentucky this year. The Hokies won all "comfortably", but in each case the Hokies lacked sharpness and mental focus. It's hard to keep a team motivated for those types of opponents, especially in mid-season, and many higher-tier college football programs struggle with that. The issue of "playing down to the opponent" is real and it typically shows itself the most in the mental side of the game. We saw a good example of that on Saturday against Western Kentucky.
more

Hokie Hotline Notes for 10/6/08
October 7, 2008
Monday night's guests were offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring, head men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg, athletic director Jim Weaver, and head football coach Frank Beamer.
more

Miller Continues to Shine on the Gridiron
October 7, 2008
Virginia Tech has had to get creative with its scholarship use in this 2009 class and the staff really earned creativity points in the situation with Bassett (VA) offensive lineman Andrew Miller. The 6-5, 275-pound senior, a standout wrestler as well, will be on a wrestling scholarship his first year at Virginia Tech and will then switch to football for the rest of his college career.
more

BC Game Time Set: Kenny Lewis Out for the Season
October 6, 2008
The kickoff time for Virginia Tech's October 18 game at Boston College has been set. The Hokies and Eagles will kickoff at 8pm, and the game will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.
Also: Kenny Lewis, Jr. Lost for the Season.
more

Around the ACC: Week 6
October 6, 2008
After six weeks of action, things are starting to get narrowed down a bit in the ACC race. Miami and NC State are the first teams with two ACC losses, and their hopes of winning their respective divisions are likely finished. The ACC also got another big out-of-conference win, with UNC whipping the Connecticut Huskies of the Big East.
more

Army AA Thomas in No Rush to Decide
October 6, 2008
Brookville's Logan Thomas, referring to the temptation of making a verbal commitment sooner rather than later, admits that "there is kind of a sense of urgency sometimes, but then again there isn't." The 6-6, 225-pound tight end/wide receiver recruit, one of the most coveted prospects out of the state of Virginia's 2009 class, does not appear close to making a decision and currently lists nine schools still under consideration.
more

Hokies Brush Aside Hilltoppers 27-13
October 4, 2008
Blacksburg, VA - The Hokies didn't look pretty, but they came out on top. Virginia Tech got a 24-point lead on Western Kentucky, then took out Tyrod Taylor in the third quarter and walked away with a 27-13 win. Tech is now 5-1 on the season, 2-0 in the ACC, and are just one game away from bowl eligibility for the 16th straight season.
more
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